22. Chapter 21

CHAPTER 21:

Kurokawa Mari. A woman of great qualities and many talents. She was born to a Japanese mother and an American father who married in Japan, inheriting both her mother's black smooth hair and her father's blue eyes. And unfortunately, her father was a soldier both in mind and spirit. He had participated in most battlefields America had been in since the 2000s, and he wasn't unscathed because of it.

Her parents had divorced when she turned ten. Life with him was simply unbearable for her mother, who couldn't deal with his way of life and his behaviour at home. Mari had witnessed how her family was torn, but she didn't blame him. He simply was a product of his environment. It was that day that she swore she would do her best to help her mother, her father and anyone else who needed it.

In order to understand how to deal with it, she joined the US army as soon as she finished nurse school. She knew she would be confronted to the problem there, and maybe her choice had something to do with her father? She wasn't sure. Life was hard during her three years of service, but she learned what she wanted to. She witnessed what combat stress could do to men, and how they clung to her. To them, she was an angel. A blinding ray of kindness and motherly love in a period where they could die at any moment. An anchor of stability in a chaotic war where anyone wearing a different uniform could be a deadly threat. She spent most of her service in Pakistan, but it was more than enough to learn.

Once she finished her service, she went back to Japan to spread her teaching. The JSDF never having fought a war since WW2, she knew the doctors had way less experience. Granted, the JSDF had very little problems related to combat stress and PTSD, but that didn't stop her from teaching her fellow combat medics and doctors.

And ironically, along with a hundred or two soldiers who were either foreigners turned Japanese, or Japanese having served in foreign armies then back to the JSDF just like her, she was probably one of the most experienced members in the Special Region.

And how thankful she was she took the decision to get experience abroad.

The day they got to what was now called the "Special Region", they fought back an army. Then a Dragon. The soldiers witnessed thousands of men, beasts and other beings die to their bullets, and another couple thousands burned alive by a flying reptile the size of an airliner.

She did her best, but there was no way for a human mind to remain untouched upon such a sight. Even less when they had been the ones doing part of the killing. Since that day, about thirty soldiers had to be sent back to Japan, all deemed too mentally unstable to be reliable on the battlefield. In addition, a few suicide attempts were reported.

And that was without counting all the surviving soldiers of the medieval army that attacked them who had to be watched over. A good number of them had already been sent into a temporary POW camp, but a great number had to stay in medical care.

As a result, Mari and the entire medical corp of the Special Task Force were overworked, each forced to talk individually to a selected number of JSDF soldiers each day to make sure they weren't having PTSD symptoms during the day, and doing on night shifts to watch over the survivors.

She was in such a situation right now. Sat at a desk, she was fighting the urge to close her eyes while her fourth cup of coffee of the night did little to maintain the need to sleep at bay. However, another thought kept her awake.

The prisoners weren't only human. Those in medical care had been obviously disarmed and had a hand handcuffed to their bed, but a few of them clearly weren't human, and seemed strong enough to break the metal binds in seconds. She had a loaded gun at her belt just in case, and she couldn't drop her attention.

And just as she pinched her own arm to repel yet another sleep urge, screams shot her awake. She stood up from the chair, almost knocking to the ground the desk in front of her and ran further inside the tent. The other nurse helping her during this late shift was occupied with another JSDF soldier who had been too prideful to ask for help during the day, so Mari was on her own.

She reached the screaming man in a short time, and as her brain muddled by a lack of sleep finally woke up, she understood that he wasn't simply screaming, he was screaming and bleeding at the same time.

She closed the curtains around each bed to get some privacy, then did what she could to save his life.

The two guards outside the tent barged in, rifles at the ready, but Mari reassured them and one stayed as the other went back outside.

She opened the curtain a few minutes later, a stern expression on her face. Her patient had been a human kid, around eighteen years old. He managed to steal a scalpel somehow during the day and used it to commit suicide the same night. He was a member of one of the armies that attacked the JSDF a few days ago, a prisoner.

And unfortunately, she hadn't been able to save him. He used the scalped to open his neck, and the blood loss was too much for her to deal alone.

Sighing, she got outside of the tent. The fresh breeze was a welcome addition after the still atmosphere of the tent, and she went to fetch a body bag out of nearby truck. As she neared the entrance of the tent she was assigned to, someone waved to her. As the person got closer, Mari recognized Ayame, a fellow nurse who was supposed to take the next shift, holding a folder under her right arm. Mari took a look at her watch and saw with relief that indeed, she would finally be able to take a few hours of much needed sleep.

Ayame didn't ask any question about the body bag rolled in Mari's hands, merely nodding and helping Mari to get the boy's body inside.

They put the bag near two other similar bags, suicide among the medieval soldiers being pretty high.

"I'll take the shift a little earlier, go get some sleep, you need it!" whispered Ayame as she noticed the dark rings under Mari's eyes.

She answered with a tired smile, and just as she was about to leave, Ayame added one last thing.

"Oh, I forgot! Doctor Yumeka told me to give this to you." She said, giving the folder to Mari.

Mari grabbed it, wished Ayame good night and made her way towards her quarters.

Most of the JSDF soldiers still slept in tents as it had been merely a week since they came, but prefabricated buildings were popping all over the place for the first civilians that would come through the Gate tomorrow. Fortunately, General Hazama had listened to Doctor Yumeka, the highest-ranking medical officer of the base, and had allowed the medical staff to sleep in one of the buildings considering their overwork.

She quickly found her way to her room, and just as she lit the lamp near her bed she stopped herself. Her arms were caked with boy's blood. She couldn't go to sleep like that.

She quickly made her way the a nearby sink and washed it off. Once back to bed, she read the paper given to her out of curiosity.

It was a reassignment paper. Starting tomorrow, she would be assigned to third recon, led by second lieutenant Itami Youji. She was to get to know her teammates tomorrow, then the next day they would go explore the special region. A handwritten note was added, signed by Doctor Yumeka. It said that Youji, the leader of the team, showed no reaction to the battle that took place a week ago, just his usual goofy self. The doctor expressed her concerns and Mari was to watch over him, see if his behaviour wasn't hiding a distress that had to be treated.

Sighing once more, she closed the folder, put on some pajamas and turned off the light at the side of her bed. She fell asleep in a mere minute.

The next day, the first civilians came to the Special Region.

At first, they felt many emotions. The path through the dark void between the worlds was lit with lights placed at regular intervals all the way from Tokyo to the new world, but anything beyond their reach remained a mystery.

Many felt anxiousness or even fear, but even more felt a sense of wonder. They were discovering a new world! They felt like the Christopher Columbus', the Marco Polo's or even the Neil Armstrong's of the twenty-first century!

Anxiousness, wanting or even those unfortunate enough to have motion sickness in the busses that brought them to the other side soon felt interest when a bright light in the distance showed their destination. Interest soon turned into excitation when they came close enough to see the first snippets of blue sky.

And excitation soon turned into a sense of adventure like no other when finally, the first rays of an alien sun shined on their faces through the windows of the busses.

Biologists marveled at the nearby forest, thinking of all the new species they would find there.

Geologists looked at the distant mountains with interest, already discussing if the rock formations were any different from earth.

Anthropologists looked at the abandoned camps of the medieval armies in the distance, thinking of all the cultural discoveries they could make just by studying what was left behind.

Politicians and diplomats looked for the POW camp, they wanted to know if there was any political leader among the prisoners and how they could be appealed to.

But a common trait among all of them was that almost everyone had a smartphone or a camera in their hands, enthusiastically taking photos of the "new discovery" of the twenty-first century.

As the closest ally with Japan, the United States delegation was the first to go through the other side, followed by four trucks of various equipment. The next vehicles to cross between worlds were dark blue trucks, with white large "POLICE" signs written on them.

Indeed. If the JSDF was to protect from exterior threats and conduct recon missions, then it was the police's job to protect from interior threats.

And to protect the people from earth from themselves, it had been the Tokyo police that had been chosen. For now, two hundred policemen along with three armored trucks was what was sent to the Special Region. More would be sent as the settlement grew larger, but for now it would be enough.

"Taketa-senpai, look!" squirmed Kanamori in her seat, pointing at some kind of weird horned bird flying low. Gennosuke watched with interest at the alien form of life, amazed at the strange sight.

The bus they were in was soon directed into another direction, up to a group of prefabricated buildings separated from the rest by a metallic fence. The vehicles stopped and the police personnel slowly left the vehicles, darting their eyes all around. They couldn't see much yet, but there were many clues that this world wasn't like theirs.

"Alright! Eyes on me!"

Gennosuke turned to the source of the voice, to see one of the policemen on top of one of the trucks, raised above the other policemen. The symbols on his shoulders showed he was a superintendent. The chatter quickly died down and he showed a satisfied smile.

"Good. Well everyone, good morning! I'm Superintendent Junichi Katsuo, I will be in command of the whole police operations in this settlement. For now, you all have two hours to unpack your gear, get settled in your bunks, get lunch and report to your superiors! I know it's a bit early for lunch, but you'll have to get used to it, consider it like having jet lag! This may be a new world, but for us policemen, our task stays the same! Secure the town and make sure everything is in proper order! That will be all!"

Conversations rose as soon as the superintendent finished. For Gennosuke, Kanamori and all of the policemen, this was just like getting a reassignment to another prefecture or city.

Well, you still had to add all the fantasy stuff. Dragons, elves, orcs, magic and potions…

It was almost like getting a simple reassignment.

A week later, Tube castle, border between Tube and the Empire.

« Push them back ! Push the ladders away from the walls!" Shouted Duran from atop the ramparts of Tube castle.

Shouting loudly, his men redoubled their efforts in repelling the Imperial auxiliary troops. Ladders were pushed away from the walls, sending tens of orcs, goblins and demi-humans to their demise below.

"Wyverns incoming!" Shouted a soldier, pointing up in the sky. Quickly approaching was a squadron of about twenty imperial wyvern riders. Elbian men braced for the assault, while Duran picked up a javelin from a body on the ground.

A leader doesn't lead from the back. To do so would not only show your men you were a coward, it would also be tarnishing one's pledge to Emroy. That was why Duran was currently fighting on top of the walls of Tube castle.

The wyverns swooped down, grabbing men in their claws and sending them down to the ground to their deaths, while their riders used their lances and throwing weapons with ruthless efficiency. Duran saw one of the riders leading his mount towards him, but the King was an accomplished warrior, and a great wielder of many weapons.

He cocked his arm back, and sent the javelin straight to the rider's right shoulder. The weight as well as the strength of the weapon sent the rider toppling to the ground, quickly killed by Elbian soldiers. The wyvern itself was surrounded by spearmen who thrust their weapons at the beast's weak spots. The wings were pierced all over, and dark blood was pouring out of an open wound near the eyes. The beast used its tail to sweep the men surrounding it, sending many of them down the walls and tried to take off, jumping away from the battlement, only to hilariously fall to the ground with its virtually non-functional wings.

Seeing as two other wyverns were killed with ballistae bolts, the wyvern riders took off the battlements before casualties piled up.

Seeing there was a short breathing room, Duran leaned against the wall's crenelations to assess the battle unfolding.

It had been two days since the Imperial showed up and sieged the castle. Fortunately, Kelimel's men who had gone back to the camp had managed to retrieve a good part of the equipment dropped during their flight from the Flame Dragon and arrived mere hours before the Imperial auxiliary troops showed up on the horizon.

They also came with good news! The Flame Dragon was dead! The men in green had turned the timeless beast into a barely recognizable carcass, and Kelimel had stayed to initiate contact with them. While he tried to get them to help against the Empire, Duran had to hold on the borders of Elbe. Out of the twenty-five thousand men he went with to Alnus, only fifteen thousand came back.

Duran had ordered ten thousand of these men to go reinforced the border east of the Dumas mountain range, west of the coast of the blue sea while he remained with five thousand men, in addition to the thousand men garrisoning the fort, to defend the valley between the Dumas and Tybe mountain ranges leading to Elbe. He could only hope that the troops of the League Principality would be able to repel the Empire too, for if they didn't the imperial army would have an open door to the almost undefended west of Elbe.

Thankfully, the forts and cities of the coast of the Blue Sea were part of an important trade hub with the imperial city of Proptor, that meant they had strong fortifications and the means to hire mercenaries and hold off the imperials for some time.

The battle was well underway, and things weren't as grim as Duran thought it would. An arms dealer came to Tube yesterday, selling in quantity and for cheap prices arms and armor which the Elbian soldiers desperately needed. Duran had noticed that most of what he sold were worn by the members of the allied armies a few days ago, but he didn't kick him out of the fortress. The arms dealer had also proposed some kind of new weapon, and Duran would be observing the effect of such weapon right now if the Imperials didn't launch an assault.

"Are you alright, my King?"

Duran turned his face to Count Watt, the ruler of Tube castle, who asked him the question. The count held a bloodied mace in his right hand, and his armor bore the signs of intense combat.

"More tired than wounded, Count. How's the battle on your side? I guess you repelled them?"

The Count answered with a nod.

"Pushed them back for now. It seems they're still trying something at the main gate, but they'll soon be pushed back."

Duran carefully stuck his head out of the battlements, looking in the direction of the main gate. There, a century of legionnaires was still using a battering ram, but now that most of the auxiliary troops were gone, the Elbian ranged might was raining death on them. Despite their tortoise formation, casualties were piling rapidly and they soon fled. Strangely, they had left a few wooden crates near the gate.

"What is he doing…" muttered Watt. Duran looked at what Watt was looking at, and the arms dealer from yesterday was… Preparing defences? He had parked two carts in front of the gate, each with a white cloth covering a shape Duran couldn't recognize. The arms dealer's men, completely dressed in black, soon took the white cloth away, revealing a strange machine. A brass cylinder from which six tubes came out, held on two wheels. On the side of the brass cylinder was some kind of handle.

And just as he pondered what was the arms dealer doing, an incredibly loud explosion rocked the entire fortress. Count Watt lost his balance and fell on the ground, while Duran held his hands on his ears. For a few seconds, the world was silent, until Duran realized he couldn't hear anything but a high-pitched note. His hearing gradually came back over the course of a few minutes, and he looked with confusion where the explosion came from.

The castle's main gate was no more. The explosion had turned the mighty protection into wooden and metallic bits. Even the stone construction around what was the gate before had badly suffered.

"The imperials! The imperials are attacking!"

Duran heard the shout and looked at the attacking imperial legionaries, but a few seconds was all he needed to know it was too late.

The imperials were running straight for the gate, while the disorganised defenders were trying to mount up a defence. The confusion grew even more when the wyvern riders attacked the ballistae on top of the walls, silencing pretty much the only effective ranged weapons the Elbians had against the imperial tortoise formation.

"KING DURAN!"

A loud voice caught his attention. The arms dealer was holding a cylindrical object in his hands which seemingly raised the volume of his voice.

"LET ME SHOW YOU THE GENIUS OF DR. GATLING!"

Upon making such a strange declaration, the arms dealer made a hand signal. His men started to crank the handle on the side of the two weapons facing the gate.

And the attacking imperials learned the hard way why 's Dr. Gatling's invention was so popular back on earth.

Hello there, author here,

Should have posted that yesterday, but had to rewrite all the last part as I wasn't satisfied with it.

rmarcano321: virtue: their resilience. Weakness: their overconfidence.

BigBadAud666: Many governments do a lot of shady things, not only the americans.

DownTownAlpha: ngl, your comment actually made me laugh. Good ole' rickroll during a life or death situation...

Guest01: I'm still thinking about it, not sure yet how I want to approach the magic system in Falmart.

Major Simi, HyperionATLAS, MadClawDragon: Thanks a lot for the support!

Don't have anything important to say this week, so I'm just going to wish you liked what you read, and see you next week!